In 2011, Apple was about to make a decision that could have changed the iPhone, iPad and Mac that we have today. Choose between Intel and TSMC as a partner to make their chips It was something that was considered intensely when Tim Cook came to the CEO's position. And today, we see it very clear with the M4 chips, the A18 of the iPhone 16 … But what little know is that this decision was dangerously close to leaning towards Intel, until What the founder of TSMC intervenes to avoid it. His mission: Make sure that Apple did not make a big mistake.
Intel scored Apple, but TSMC had something else
At the beginning of 2010, Apple already conceived its own processors for the iPhone and other products. The iPhone 4 has created the A4 chip. Then came the first iPad … However, Apple needed a technological partner capable of converting these innovative conceptions into reality. At that time, the South Korean giant Samsung had control as the main supplier of apple flea. But, due to the growing rivalry between the two companies on the smartphones market, Tim Cook has decided to look for alternatives.
Two names have become of the main candidates: Intel, the American Titan who has already provided processors for Mac, and TSMC, a Taiwanese company known to be a foundry which made chips designed by third parties. Although TSMC seemed the best option on paper, Intel displayed all its arsenal to try to conquer Apple. So much so that Tim Cook stopped negotiations with TSMC for two months to examine his proposal.
Morris Chang y Tim Cook
A key trip to change the story
When Morris Chang (CEO of TSMC) knew that Tim Cook was considering seriously intel, he did not stay with crossed arms. At 80, he decided Take a plane and travel 10,000 kilometers in California To meet Cook in person. This meeting in Apple's offices was not only a business meeting, but it was a decisive moment that would seal the future of the two companies.
In a recent interview with the acquired YouTube channel, Morris Chang reported what happened during this key conversation. “I knew that Intel was trying to convince them, but I also knew that Inten did not understand how to be a foundry“It was the key to Chang's argument: while Intel did its own processors and contributed directly with many companies, TSMC era neutral And he devoted himself exclusively to the production of fleas designed by his customers.
TSMC's commitment to Apple was not only a promise. During the following years, they have proven to be willing to respond to the requests of Cupertino. A perfect example of this happened in 2014, when Apple asked TSMC a radical change in its technological roadmap: Instead of adopting the 16 -nanometers' process, they wanted a special nodes of 20 knots for the A8 fleas. Although this decision involved enormous technical and economic challenges, TSMC accepted and reoriented all its resources to respond to Apple's requests.
The result was a relationship of absolute trust. In 2016, Apple stopped according to Samsung As a secondary supplier of processors and is entrusted exclusively on TSMC. Since then, this collaboration has resulted in some of the most innovative chips in the industry, such as Apple Silicon processors which now stimulate Mac.
The price of a processor slice is around 17,500 dollars. Apple obtained its 2 nm process with a production of 40,000 monthly slices when it enters the production phase.
Intel was out of the equation
According to Morris Chang, many Intel clients in Taiwan were already unhappy with the company, because he tended to impose conditions instead of collaborating. “”Acted as if they were the only ones to have microprocessors“This attitude, added to their lack of experience as foundryIt was his Achilles heel. What is ironic is that Intel, which was once an Apple key partner, is now completely outside the company's ecosystem. In 2020, Apple announced its transition to Apple Silicon fleas for Mac, ending its relationship with Intel.
The story of the way Morris Chang convinced Tim Cook is a lesson in the importance of Understand customer needs And adapt to them. In Chang's words: “When a customer asks something, even if it seems irrational, our answer is always to say” yes “and find a solution.”
Today, TSMC is the undisputed leader in the manufacture of advanced fleas and Apple remains its most important customer. Represents between 23% and 26% of the annual TSMC income. However, none of this would have been possible without this trip in 2011 and a conversation in which the future of technology was decided. Do you imagine today an iPad with an Intel processor inside?
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